Too Soon! British Jokes About Burning Down White House 200 Years Ago Fall Flat.

The British Embassy throws a party to celebrate burning down the White House 200 years ago.

The United States and Britain might have a famed "special relationship," but it certainly wasn't always so. And the British embassy staff in Washington, D.C., apparently have long memories.

The embassy threw a barbecue this weekend to "commemorate" the 200th anniversary of Britain's army burning Washington in the War of 1812. British forces set fire to the White House (even dousing it with extra fuel so it would continue to burn), forcing President James Madison to flee for his life.

The Aug. 24, 1814, siege remains the only time a foreign invader captured and occupied Washington, D.C. The Brits must still be proud of that: